Manufacture of butt-weld pipe.



No. 720,045. f a PATBNTED PEB. 1o, 1903.`

J. H: MATHBSON. .MANUPAGTURB 0F BUTTWELD PIPE.

PPPPP OATION FII-.ED JAN. 15, 1902.

7 UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. MATHESON, OF MIDDLETOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONALTUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A OOR- PORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

i MANUFACTURE OF BUTT-WELD PIPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l720,045, datedFebruary 10, 1903. p

Application filed January l5, 1902. Serial No. 89,841. (No model.)

to provide for the handling of the tube-blanks in the furnace and thewithdrawal of the same therefrom, so that`though the tube-blanks aremoved laterally in the furnace they can be so moved before they are atsuch heat as to be too flexible for easy handling and also so that theywill reach their final-heating positions when `cool enough to chill theportions of the furnace-bed on which they rest and enable such chilledportions of the bed to act upon and aid in holding their bodies at alower temperature than their edges, so that when the edges are at awelding heat the bodies will be stiff enough to take proper form in thebell and force theV edges together with sufficient pressure to causeperfect Welding.

To these ends my invention consists in providing upon "the furnace-bedheating territories for the plates or other blanks-two finalheatingterritories and two feeding territories, one at the side of eachfinal-heatin g territoryand in heating and transforming the blanks intobutt-weld tubing by feeding cold blanks longitudinally into the furnaceinto the feeding territories, alternately moving the blanks in suchfeeding territories laterally into the final-heating territoriesadjoining the same, raising the edges to a welding heat when in suchposition, and withdrawing the blanks longitudinally from the furnacealternately from suchtwo final-heating territories and into and throughthe welding-bells, it being made practicable in so operating to bringthe blanks into the final-heating territories before they are too highlyheated for easy handling and while they are suliiciently cooled to chillthe portions of the beds which they cover, so that such chilled portionsmay in turn keep the bodies of the blanks from too 5o high heating, andtherefore sufficiently stiff to be properly formed in the welding-bells.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompany- 5 5 ingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a welding-furnace,illustrating the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of thefurnace and side view of the drawing apparatus; and Fig. 3 is 6o across-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In the practice of my invention I employ any suitable welding-furnace inwhich the tube-blanks, which are shown and will be hereinafter referredto as fiat plates, may be raised to a proper welding heat substantiallyuniform throughout their length, the furnace being preferably heated bygas and being of the regenerative type, such as is ordinarily used forthis purpose. This furnacel 7o is shown at 1, having the hearth 2, whichis inclined, as shown in Fig. 2, to carry off the liquor from thefurnace. The hearth is formed of gravel, sand, or other suitablematerial, and, as shown in the drawings, it has fourheating sections orterritories for the plates, such heating territories being substantiallyparallel with each other and being marked ct, b, c, and d. The outersections a and d are the feeding territories into which the plates are8o charged, and the innersections b and c are the final-heatingterritories, where the plates lie until at welding heat.

Any suitable drawing apparatus, stationary or movable, for withdrawingplates from the furnace lnay be used, the only requirement of the samebeing that it shall provide for drawingr the plates from the twofinal-heating territories, and for that purpose I have illustrated asuitable overhead drawing ap- 9o paratus, which only requires a generaldescription. The bench 4, as shown, is stationary and carries Vtwobell-holders 5 and 6 at the front end in line with the final-heatingterritories l) and c, as shown in Fig. l. Above the bench is supportedthe'drawing apparatus 7, having two suitable tracks 8 and 9, on

`which are mounted the trolleys l0 and l1,

having the depending drawing-arms 12 and 13. At the front end of thedrawing apparatus are the pulleys 14 and 15 and above the same thepulley 16, and at the rear thereof is the driving-drum 17, on which thewire rope or like driving means is wound, the rope 18 passing directlyfrom the drum 17 to the trolley 10, and thence around the pulley` 14,over the pulley 16, and back around the pulley 15 and extending to thetrolley 11, and thence under the pulley 19 at the rear end of thedrawing apparatus and passing on to the drum 17 in the oppositedirection, so that when thev drum is rotated in one direction the ropewinds off one portion of the same and on to the opposite portion of thesame. The two trolleys, with their depending drawing-arms, are mountedin proper positions, so that one will be at the rear end of the drawingapparatus while the other is at the forward end ready to receive thewelding-tongs, and vice versa. The drum is of course driven by anysuitable power. It will loe noticed in Fig. 3 that the depending arms ofthe trolleys are located, respectively, opposite the two finall heatingterritories b and c in the furnace and are therefore adapted to drawplates, one from one such final-heating territory and-the other from theother final-heating territory.

In the practice of the invention with the apparatus shown the plates forforming the tubing, having their frontv ends suitably trimmed and bentfor entering the furnace and the welding-bells, are fed from the rearend of the furnace into the furnace-chamber in practically the followingway: One plate is fed first longitudinally through the rear end of thefurnaceinto the feeding territory a at one side of the furnace-bed, andanother plate is so fed longitudinally into the feeding territory d atthe other side of the furnace-bed. Before the plate in the territory ctis too highly heated for easy lateral movement itis moved laterally intothe final-heating territory b, and at the proper time the plate in thefeeding territory d is moved laterally into the {inalheating territoryc, the two plates being thus brought into their final-heating positionsside by side within the central drawing portion of the hearth. At propertimes other plates are fed longitudinally into the feeding-sections aand d, and when a plate in the nal-heating section b is at properwelding heat for drawing the Welder grasps the same with his tongs andthrows the bell over the tongs and into position in front of thebell-holder 5 and engages the tongs with the depending drawingarm 12,when the drawing mechanism is set in motion and this plate is drawn fromthe front of the furnace and through the weldingbell and welded into thetubing. As soon as it passes from the furnace the plate in thefeeding-section 01 by a picker or other suitable tool, is moved into thefinal-heating section b, and this can be done quickly by a short lateralmovement as soon as the plate being welded passes from the furnace, the

time of longitudinal charging being thus saved. When the plate in thefinal-heating section c reaches proper welding condition, the Weldergrasps it with the tongs, throws the bell over it, and engages the tongswith the drawing-arm 6, (which has been moved forward in the drawing ofthe first tube,) and as soon as this plate is drawn from the furnace theplate in the feeding-section d is moved laterally into the final-heatingsection c. In the practice of the invention the operators watch thecondition of the plates and feed vthe plates into the outerfeeding-sections (L and d at such times that they willnot become toohighly heated to be moved into the finalheating sections b and c, theobjects being to have the plates in the proper position to be movedquickly into lthe final-heating sections as soon asv the fully-heatedplates are withdrawn therefrom, and by providing the two differentfinal-heating sections b and c and after plates are withdrawn therefromquickly replacing them to insure more rapid working and make itpracticable to obtain large output and yet provide for the lateralmovement of the plates before they are highly heated and while they aresti enough to be easily handled by the. workmen; further, to-make itpracticable to place the plates into their final positions for heatingwhile they are sufficiently cool to chill the bottom of the furnaceunder the same, and in so doing to provide colder portions or streaks onthe furnace-bed to chill or absorb heat from the bodies of the plates asthe edges approach the welding temperature, and so hold the main portionof the bodies of the plates stiff enough to properlyform up within thewelding-bell. In so operating I am also enabled to bring the edges ofthe plates to substantially uniform welding heat throughout their lengthwhen employing a furnace so highly heated that the times of charging andwithdrawing are material factors in the heating of the plates, as theplates are charged in the rear and withdrawn from the front of thefurnace and the heat absorbed by the plate in entering is substantiallybalanced by the heat absorbed in withdrawing. For certain sizes oftubing such hearth positions willbesufticientgbutfor other sizes oftubing the furnace-hearth may have to be enlarged and two such groups offeeding and heating territories be employed, the welding mechanism beingarranged to draw the plates from the different final-heating territoriesin the furnace.

I have shown two final-heating territories and two feeding territoriesoutside the same; but it is obvious that any desired number offinal-heating territories may be used to accommodate the necessarynumber of plates to keep the drawing apparatus in continuous operation.In all cases a number of feeding territories will be provided which isequal to the number of final-heating territories, one at the side ofeach of the latter.

The drawing apparatus shown and de- IIO scribed is not claimed in thisapplication, but is claimed in my application filed January 23, 1902,Serial No. 90,972.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l, The herein-described method of heating and transforming flat platesinto butt-weld tubing, consisting in heating plates in a plurality offinal-heating territories substantially parallel with each other uponthe furnacebed,successively withdrawing the plates from said territoriesthrough the front end of the furnace and through welding-bells, feedingcold plates longitudinally through the rear end of the furnace intofeeding territories, one at the side of-each final-heating territory,and upon the Withdrawal of a heated plate from either of thefinal-heating territories, moving the plate resting in the feedingterritory adjoining the same laterally into said final-heatingterritory, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described method of heating and transforming Hat platesinto butt-weld tubing, consisting in heating plates in twoflnalheatingterritories parallel with each other upon the fu rnace-bed,alternately Withdrawing the plates from said final-heating territoriesthrough the front end of the furnace and through Welding-bells, feedingcold plates longitudinally through the rear end of the furnacealternately into feeding territories, one at the side of eachfinal-heating territory, and, upon the withdrawal of a heated plate fromeither of the nal-heating lterritories for welding, moving the plateresting in the feeding territory adjoining the same laterally into saidfinal-heatin g territory, sub,- stantially as described.

3. The herein-described method of making butt-Weld tubing, consisting inheating tubeblanks ina plurality of final-heating territoriessubstantially parallel with each other upon the furnace bed,successively Withdrawing the blanks from said territories and throughwelding-bells, feeding cold blanks longitudinally into the feedingterritories in the furnace` one at the side of each final-heatingterritory, and upon the withdrawal of a heated blank from either of thefinal-heating territories, moving the blank resting in the feedingterritory adjoining the same laterally into said final-heatingterritory. i

4. The herein-described method of manufacturing butt weld tubing,consisting in heating tube-blanks in two final-heating territories uponthe furnace bed, alternately withdrawing the blanks from saidfinal-heating territories and through welding bells, feeding coldblankslongtudinally into feeding territories in the furnace, one at theside of each final-heating territory, `and upon the withdrawal of theheated blank from either of the final-heating territories, moving theblank resting in the feeding territory adjoining the same laterally intosaid final-heating territory.

In testimony whereof I, the said JAMES H. MATHESON, have hereunto set myhand.

JAMES H. MATHESON.

Witnesses:

Jos. H. NISLEY, HARRY I-I. J oHNsoN.

